Bruce Wayne (Earth-Two)
Bruce Wayne was orphaned as a child when the mugger Joe Chill tried to steal his mother's necklace. Thomas Wayne was shot while defending his wife, and Martha Wayne died instantly of a weak heart. This incident made him swear to avenge their deaths and spend the rest of his life warring on all criminals. His uncle Philip Wayne became his legal guardian, and sent him to elementary school at Hudson Academy. In college he trained to become a master scientist in perfect physical condition. This is also where he met his first girlfriend, Julie Madison, through the theater department. They starred in several shows together and eventually fell in love. Bruce wanted to become a police officer, but Julie told him she could not love a man who was constantly putting himself in danger. To fight crime without his girlfriend realizing, Bruce decided he would need a disguise. He knew that criminals are a superstitious and cowardly lot, so his disguise had to be something that could strike terror into their hearts. Just then a bat flew in through the window of his study. Bruce took this as an omen, and decided that he would become a bat. The finest costume designers were hired anonymously to develop his batsuit in secret, and bribed to keep quiet. Bruce went on patrol for the first time as Batman, unsure if he was truly ready to fight criminals. The first crook he fought was a thief named "Slugsy" Kyle who was trying to rob a warehouse. Kyle was able to knock Bruce out and tie him up, but Bruce recovered and delivered Kyle to the police. This failure made Bruce decide to settle down with Julie and find a desk job. Julie had moved to pursue acting in New York City, and Bruce set up a date to ask for her hand in marriage. Bruce decided to visit his uncle Philip's friend Commissioner Gordon and ask for a recommendation to the NYPD. They are interrupted by a series of murders involving the Apex Chemical Corporation. Bruce becomes Batman again to solve this case. He takes down several thugs and stops the conspiracy's leader, corrupt businessman Alfred Stryker. Bruce decides to continue acting as Batman in secret. He asks Julie Madison to marry him, and she says yes. Crime Fighting Career Originally considered a vigilante who seriously injured many of his early opponents, Wayne as Batman proved to be effective against the open-acting crime organizations that the ineffective Gotham City Police Department could not. Batman began gathering the grudging admiration of Police Commissioner James Gordon in his efforts, despite Batman's original heavy-handed methods of crime-combating operations. Batman gathered a wide range of rogue villains, some of which were super normal such as the Joker, the Penguin, Two-Face (Harvey Kent and later Two-Face (Paul Sloane), Clayface , Scarecrow, and Catwoman who became the most influential of his adversaries and later Wayne's wife. But one of his more effective "normal" villains was an crime boss named "Boss" Zucco who caused the death of the Flying Graysons, which resulted in Wayne taking in Richard Grayson who became Batman's junior partner Robin. As a recognized effective crime-fighter, Batman was recruited by the United States federal government as part of a covert strike force against Nazi operations in Europe that ultimately defeated an assassination attempt on the life of President Franklin Roosevelt. At the suggestion of Superman, he and Batman along with these other costumed heroes formed the Justice Society of America. Due to other commitments, Batman declined full membership status, and served only as an honorary member. He did, however, become more active in the wartime super group called the All-Star Squadron. Despite being a member of the All Star Squadron, Batman mostly remained focused in protecting Gotham City though he would occasionally take part in several European cases such as with the Unknown Soldier and others.''The Brave and the Bold'' #146 Batman continued to remain active after World War II and the public disbanding of the Justice Society due to the unwillingness of costumed heroes to reveal their secret identities as demanded by the Federal Government investigative committee. In the early to mid 1950s, Wayne confronted the Scarecrow in a case that caused Wayne to seek out the help of his one time foe Selina Kyle, the Catwoman. Upon a promise of early parole for her, Kyle aided Batman. During the course of this case, the two finally acknowledged their true feelings for each other and Wayne revealed his true identity to her.''The Brave and the Bold'' #197 When Selina Kyle was finally released from prison, Bruce Wayne accepted her. The two wed soon thereafter. Selina gave birth to Wayne's daughter, Helena. Deciding not to put his daughter in a similar situation as he underwent in his youth, Wayne retired from the Batman role. But desiring to remain active in some way as crime fighter, Wayne ran for and attained the position of Police Commission of Gotham City upon the retirement of his long time friend Jim Gordon. After a period of inactivity a former henchman of the Catwoman's, Silky Cernak, appeared and claimed to have proof that Catwoman had committed a murder in the 1950s. Silky threatened to expose this evidence to the police and destroy Selina's life unless she helped him commit one last crime as Catwoman. Fearing the destruction of Wayne's position and her daughter's safety, Selina acquiesced, secretly plotting to arrest Silky. Wayne resumed the Batman identity to stop her, unaware of Selina's plan. Selina was shot by Silky in her attempts to arrest him. Selina died in Wayne's arms, and Wayne was publicly revealed to have been the original Batman. Wayne decided to permanently retire from the role; Cernak would be later stopped by Helena Wayne, who became the Huntress ''DC Super-Stars'' #17. Death Wayne would only return to the role one last time after learning he was dying of cancer in order to stop Bill Jensen, who had been granted super-powers by the sorcerer Frederic Vaux. Having failed to arrest Jensen, Wayne took a Batman costume from the Gotham Museum and decided to attack Jensen directly as Batman. The two fought until Jensen realized that he could not deter Wayne in his attempt to stop Jensen. Jensen decided to destroy Batman and himself with a mystical blast ''Adventure Comics'' #461-462 which succeeded in killing Wayne. The Earth-Two Doctor Fate erased completely from all people on Earth-Two that Batman and Bruce Wayne were the same. ''Adventure Comics'' #463 Wayne's daughter Helena and Grayson would continue protecting Gotham City as the Huntress and Robin until they were killed during the Crisis on Infinite Earths. | Powers = | Abilities = * * * * * | Strength = | Weaknesses = | Equipment = * Utility Belt | Transportation = * Batmobile * Batcycle * Batboat * Batplane | Weapons = * Batarang | Notes = * Although the Batman of Earth-Two was the regular Batman throughout the Golden Age, he appeared specifically as a resident of Earth-Two for the first time in . * Unlike his Earth-One and modern era counterparts, the Earth-Two Bruce Wayne was a regular open pipe smoker for many years as noted he did from before his marriage to Selina to after her death which was attributed to be over twenty years, which some writers and fans state was the source for the character's cancer that was killing him. * Unlike the original Golden Age stories, the Earth-Two Batman was shown to have carried and used a gun after forming his partnership with his Robin whereas the original stories have Batman using a gun in only his earliest adventures and stopped before Robin joins him as a partner (shown in Detective Comics #38). * He was briefly succeeded in the role of Batman by his former junior partner, Dick Grayson, after Wayne retired.recounted in . But Grayson felt uncomfortable in the role of Batman and decided not to continue in the role and resumed his original costume identity of Robin with a modified version of his mentor's costume. Grayson later replaced that version of his costume with his better known mostly yellow bodysuit version. * The Earth-Two Batman's spirit recently appeared in the Infinite Crisis events and claimed to now be elsewhere and that his previous existence was now "complicated". It was not specified whether it was the Earth-Two Wayne's spirit or Grayson's spirit who appeared in the JSA 80-82 issues. | Trivia = | Wikipedia = Batman (Earth-Two) | Recommended = * (1st appearance) * (1st origin story) * (1st solo title) * (1st Robin/partner) * (dies) | Links = * The Golden Age Batman Chronology by Aaron Severson * E-2 Batman Index at Mike's Amazing World of DC Comics }} Category:All-Star Squadron members Category:Independently Wealthy Category:Gotham City Mayors